


Ebb the Goatherd

by nerdistheword



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Canon Compliant, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Watford Second Year, What else is new, baz and simon fight, how simon met ebb, not written for snowbaz but because I love ebb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 13:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20547233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdistheword/pseuds/nerdistheword
Summary: How Simon Met Ebb-Set at Watford, second year, no snowbaz (sorry), just me filling in the gaps about Simon meeting EbbShe’s a woman in her mid thirties, carrying a wooden staff. Her hair is straight and short and blonde, but not clean and light like Agatha’s. She’s wearing an old Watford jumper under torn and ratty overalls, and her face is dirty, making her light eyes stand out. If Simon paid attention, he could feel her magic, deep and powerful within her, and deduce from there that her spell to stop his and Baz’s fight was only a taste of what this strange, dirty woman is capable of.“Hello there. I’m Ebb.”





	Ebb the Goatherd

The worst thing Baz does—and one of his favorite things to do, of course—is talking about Simon like he isn’t there, though he is obviously in earshot.  
They had just gotten out of a Magic Words lesson with Miss Possibelf, and Baz made fun of Simon’s spellwork at every opportunity. He’d shown off too, with his perfect enunciation and wandwork. Simon hates him. Hates his stupid, posh roommate and how he always knows which buttons to press.  
Baz and his cronies, Niall and Dev, are walking a few meters ahead of Simon and Penny. Baz is talking at a normal volume, but Simon can still hear it from behind him.  
“Snow is an embarrassment to Watford. To all of magic. He can’t even pull off a second year spell. It’s like they gave a wand to a monkey and made it the Mage’s Heir.” Baz’s friends snicker and Dev glances behind them to smile meanly at Simon.  
Simon hates it when Baz talks about spells they’re learning right now as if he’s too advanced for them. They’re in second year! Of course they’re doing second year spells! Tosser.  
He clenches his fists and glares at the back of Baz’s head, magic smoking around him. Penny touches his arm, whispers “Don’t listen to him, Si. He’s not worth it.”  
Yeah, okay. Penny’s probably right. His roommate is a total git and probably (definitely) evil, but the Mage doesn’t think Simon is an embarrassment. Probably.  
Simon takes a deep breath and tries to squash down his magic, cool his anger. It works for a few seconds until Baz continues.  
“It’s no wonder he’s an orphan. Would any parent even want a child so moronic? All that power, wasted on an imbecile who knows nothing about the World of Mages.”  
Okay, that’s it. Simon sees red and no calm coaxing from Penny can stop him before he charges forward like an American football player and tackles Baz to the ground with a loud growl of fury. Of course, Baz knew he was coming, and turned around just in time to brace himself.  
Both boys go down, fists flying, looking to hit any target.  
Baz may be better at magic, and speaking, and being tall, but Simon grew up thumping other rejected kids in care homes. He knows how to beat someone up. Baz grew up in some posh mansion. He’s probably never had to physically fight for anything in his life.  
That’s not to say that Baz isn’t squirrelly as fuck—he sneaks in hits when Simon isn’t expecting it, but Simon is tough to pin and full of brute force.  
They roll around on the ground, neither boys getting the advantage over the other for very long. Simon definitely prefers this over going off. It’s an even fight this way at least. It’s something he’s somewhat good at, where Baz and him are on an even playing field.  
Simon lands a good hit to Baz’s face, bruising his cheekbone, and Baz knees him in the gut, hard. Simon doesn’t let that stop him. He’s so angry and deep down he’s hurt because Baz always knows how to hit Simon in the most painful way with his words. It’s like Baz knows what keeps him up at night, what he fears and tries not to think about. Simon feels like he could rip Baz apart right now. Or just beat him up enough so he’ll leave him alone for a day at least.  
There’s a crowd of other second years around them now, and a few mildly entertained upper years sprinkled in. Baz’s friends are shouting encouragements at him, and Penny is massaging her forehead like she has a headache. Simon can’t find it in himself to stop for Penny’s sake. Not today.  
Neither Simon or Baz show any outward signs of stopping. Simon is breathing hard and his face is red, but he continues to pull Baz’s hair and try to hit him where he can, while Baz is pushing Simon’s chin up and trying to get his legs out from under the other boy.  
**_“Break it up!”_**  
Suddenly, the ring of kids around them parts, and Simon and Baz are spelled apart so hard they land on their backs in opposite directions.  
When Simon sits up after staring at the sky above him for a second, the first thing he sees is a goat sniffing around his legs. There’s another one standing beside him, chewing on a clump of weeds. It makes eye contact with him and blinks slowly. He mirrors the expression. Simon didn’t know Watford had goats. Neither Penny nor the Mage told him.  
Then he looks to who cast the spell.  
She’s standing highlighted by the sun, and all Simon can make out at first is her wooden staff and straight blonde hair cut right at her chin and across her forehead.  
She steps forward and squats down beside Simon to pet the goat trying to get the half of a sour cherry scone Simon stuffed in his pocket before breakfast ended.  
She’s a woman in her mid thirties, carrying a wooden staff. Her hair is straight and short and blonde, but not clean and light like Agatha’s. She’s wearing an old Watford jumper under torn and ratty overalls, and her face is dirty, making her light eyes stand out. If Simon paid attention, he could feel her magic, deep and powerful within her, and deduce from there that her spell to stop his and Baz’s fight was only a taste of what this strange, dirty woman is capable of.  
“Hello there. I’m Ebb.” The woman says it softly, meeting Simon’s eyes. She smiles at his bewildered expression and stands back up, using her staff as support.  
“What’s all this scuffling about for?” Ebb asks loudly so Baz hears it as well from a couple feet away. Then she offers her large, rough hand to Simon, who hesitantly takes it. She pulls him off the ground with ease and then looks over to Baz, who has gotten up himself and is dusting his uniform off while glaring at Simon, who reflects the expression back at him.  
“The Chosen One attacked me.” Baz sneers, and tilts his head up to look down at them, an impressive feat for a twelve year old just caught fighting with another student on school grounds.  
“Is that so?” Ebb looks over at Simon, who can hardly speak less than he usually does through his anger.  
He stutters for a moment, and then blurts out a frantically indignant, “Well Baz started it! He—he—said—was talking about—“  
Ebb, thank Merlin, understands what Simon is trying to say. “Oh. Young Mister Pitch provoked you then, Simon?”  
All Simon can do is nod. He doesn’t mind that Ebb already knows his name—everyone at Watford does anyway. Ebb thinks about this for a moment, and then shrugs. “Well, I’d say this doesn’t call for a trip to the headmaster’s office. You both got a few good hits in, yeah? As long as neither of you boys are hurt and this doesn’t happen again, I’ll let it go.”  
Baz frowns at Ebb. “You aren’t a teacher. Who are you?”  
Ebb laughs a little then, and lifts a baby goat wandering around her feet into her arms. “I’m Watford’s goatherd. Name’s Ebb.” Baz frowns.  
“I’ve heard about you. What does Watford even need with a goatherd?” Simon ignores his roommate and looks up at Ebb, wiping some blood trickling from his nose away with his sleeve.  
She laughs at Baz’s thinly-veiled insult. “I watch the grounds when the Mage is away. And the goats keep the grass trimmed.”  
Baz rolls his eyes, but doesn’t say anything else. He and his cronies head in the direction of Mummer’s House, and Penny tells Simon she’ll be in the library if he wants to study. But Simon still feels too hot and agitated from the fight. His magic has retreated, but he’s still antsy. He feels like If he goes back to his room, he will definitely get into it with Baz again, provoked or not.  
Simon doesn’t know what to say now that he and the goatherd are left alone, but he almost never does. Ebb smiles down at him in an odd kind of understanding Simon has never received from an adult before and pats his shoulder. “I was just about to bring the nannies in. Care to join me, Simon?”  
For the rest of Simon’s second year at Watford, he spent any free time outside of lessons and meals and adventures with Penny and missions from the Mage with Ebb. He inevitably learned of her chronic weepiness, but didn’t mind. He liked spending time with the goats, and with Ebb. She was gentler and more thoughtful than any adult he’d met before—even the Mage, who treated him like an adult already. Not that Ebb treated Simon like a child. She treated him like a friend


End file.
